Featured Image Credit: Marvel Studios
Topics: Film and TV, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Film and TV, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
From dramatic weight loss to shocking muscle gain – it's not anything new when an actor is tasked to take on a complete bodily transformation for a role.
And for the upcoming Marvel film, Thor: Love and Thunder, it's no different.
Natalie Portman, also known for her iconic role in Black Swan, stars as superhero Jane Foster in the fourth film of the Thor franchise and was instructed to go through a pretty heavy body transformation herself.
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Speaking to Variety, the 41-year-old American actress revealed: "On 'Black Swan,' I was asked to get as small as possible," referencing the character of the ambitious ballerina, Nina.
The actress continued: "Here, I was asked to get as big as possible. That's an amazing challenge; and also state of mind as a woman."
When discussing what it was like to finally play a role which demanded Portman to be muscular, for the first time in over three decades, she noted: "To have this reaction and be seen as big, you realise, 'Oh, this must be so different, to walk through the world like this.'"
"When you're small – and also, I think, because I started as a kid – a lot of times I feel young or little or, like, a pat-on-the-head kind of person. And I present myself that way, too, because of that," the actress concluded.
Portman's last appearance in the Thor franchise was back in 2013, in Thor: The Dark World.
The 41-year-old since revealed that she was "done" with Marvel movies back in 2016.
"I feel like it's the phase of my career where I'm really trying to just impress my kids," Portman explained.
She continued: "My 5-year-old and my 10-year-old were so enthralled by this process, getting to visit the set and see me dressed up in a cape.
"It made it really cool. You know, it's very rare that my kids are like, 'Please go to work!' Usually, it's quite the opposite," the actress explained.
With a big bodily transformation followed an equally big reaction with dozens of comments from people weighing in on Portman's new physique.
Some were concerned with the health risks of such an immediate physical change, with one Facebook user commenting: "That didn’t work well for other actors and actresses in the past! Be safe!"
"I'd rather have to gain muscle than be told to lose weight," chimed in another,
A third was shocked by the quick change, commenting: "She looks like a different person!"
Thor: Love and Thunder is set to premiere on July 8.
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